Public Works employees plan to strike for better pay

The Public Works employees say they will strike until Mayor LaToya Cantrell hears them out. Source: FOX 8 Photo

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) –

About a dozen city workers plan on picketing at City Hall Tuesday morning in hope of boosting their pay.

The Public Works employees say they will strike until Mayor LaToya Cantrell hears them out.

These are the same workers who clean catch basins and fill potholes in area neighborhoods.

They say there aren’t enough employees to get the job done, and they want improvements in working conditions and pay.

They hope to get at least $18 an hour.

The workers claim what they make now isn’t enough to live in the city, and the workers who plan to strike say they won’t do any city work until the mayor sits down with them.

They also want the public’s support.

"The community I wish y’all would support us in our strike because if we don’t get paid then them pot holes and those catch basins are not going to get cleaned, " said Toinette Johnson. "That’s rain, holes y’all hitting and if the mayor is watching I hope she understand what we’re talking about."

The workers said a few employees who attempted to strike Monday returned to work after their supervisors asked them back.

A spokesperson from the mayor’s office insists that there is no strike.